6 judges, prosecution members in Egypt test positive for coronavirus

CAIRO – 15 May 2020: Six people among judges and members of the general prosecution have contracted coronavirus (COVID-19), the operations room of the Egyptian Judges’ Club said, all of which are in a “stable condition”.

Five cases are quarantined in hospitals, while one case has been isolated at home, the room noted.

On May 3, Cairo criminal courts resumed work after a 45-day hiatus over the spread of coronavirus, as per a decision by Chairperson of Cairo Court of Appeals Badry Abdel Fattah

More than 8,000 lawsuits had been adjourned over this period, including a large number of pending cases, with several defendants on remand.

Since May 1, the criminal courts have started exceptionally for only two days a week to consider time-sensitive cases.

On March 15, 2020, Egypt’s judicial institutions suspended court trials nationwide due to coronavirus, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice.

The Health Ministry on Thursday said 398 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Egypt recently, bringing the total number of cases to 10,829.

The ministry also reported 15 deaths due to the novel virus, bringing the total number to 571. World Health Organization’s representative in Egypt John Jabbour said in mid-April WHO is looking at the cause of the high coronavirus rate of deaths in the northeastern African country.

Also, the test results of 3,133 people turned from positive to negative, the ministry said, including 2,626 people who totally recovered. It added that 140 patients left hospitals.

This is the highest number in the daily coronavirus cases since Monday May 11, according to the official figures provided by the ministry. On Friday and Saturday, the country recorded 495 and 488 coronavirus positive patients, its highest daily count so far. On May 3, the country reported 272 cases, its lowest this month.

As Egypt recently saw a surge in the number of the coronavirus cases, Health Minister Hala Zayed on Saturday said the state authorities have responded to the coronavirus crisis and made all efforts to curb its spread, blaming the surge on the behavior of many citizens.

Earlier this week, Egypt’s General Physical Therapy Syndicate has mourned the death of one of its senior members after contracting COVID-19, the first death among its members due to the novel virus.

Abdel Nasser Hassan, head of the syndicate’s branch in Upper Egypt’s Luxor and the former head of Luxor General Hospital died after he tested positive for coronavirus a week ago and was moved to the intensive care unit after four days as his condition deteriorated, Ahmed Ezat, a top official at the syndicate said.

Also, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate has mourned the death of a doctor who died on Friday night from coronavirus, after having a contact with a COVID-19 positive patient.

This makes him the ninth doctor to die from the novel virus in the northeastern African country.

The syndicate said that Doctor Ahmed Darraz, former head of a hospital in Al-Sharkia governorate, in northern Egypt, had been in the “front line” in the battle against coronavirus, despite his old age and the fact that he had suffered from some chronic diseases.